New eatery specialises in freshly made Japanese bento cuisine

A love of travel has led Juliana and Mark down some interesting paths. It was on one of their visits to Japan that the idea for JBento started brewing.

“Travelling to experience different food and cultures has always had an amazing ability to nourish and inspire us to think and do differently. Mark and I are particularly taken with Japan – you can’t find bad food there. We especially like the bento boxes; how beautifully they’re presented. A lot of the small eateries that you find along the back streets of Tokyo serve the best food. They are very specialised in what they do; whether it’s ramen, sushi, yakitori or bentos,” Juliana said.

“Somewhere along the way to the next Japanese city, the idea of capturing the essence of the humble and traditional bento box was born. The idea was to deliver authentic and delicious Japanese bentos to the people of Perth, while creating a dining experience that is fresh, unique and memorable. We started as a pop-up in Vic Park two years ago, operating out of a shared commercial kitchen serving weekday lunches. It was an opportunity to test out our food concept and we received many positive reviews. When the opportunity came for us to lease our own place, we took the plunge and opened up JBento in Mount Pleasant six months ago,” she continued.

“When starting the pop-up shop, I had no food business experience – there were many trials and errors. With the assistance of a kitchen hand and a friend, we started as a 3-man show.  With the help of some artist friends from Fremantle, we made our own tables and chairs as the commercial kitchen did not have them in the dining area.  Customers were sitting on milk stools and tables made of painted bins and chalkboards! As we were on a budget, we had to make our own signboards as well.  But it made for a great learning curve. We were very encouraged by the positive feedback and repeat business we received.  That was a very humbling and rewarding experience we will never forget.”

“We currently offer 20 different bento boxes, each providing a well-balanced tummy-pleaser meal. If you’re after something lighter – we also offer a Donburi rice bowl. If you’re on a no carbs diet, we offer the meat as a side, served with salad dressed in our famous Japanese sesame dressing. We try to avoid food wastage and don’t start preparing your meal until you place your order. We go the extra mile to source the freshest ingredients. For example our teriyaki salmon is sashimi-grade, and we use scotch fillet for our teriyaki beef. Our salad ingredients are bought and prepared fresh every day. The best proof that we’ve got the right mix in the box is that it comes back to us empty everytime!”

New customers receive a FREE miso soup. Call in and say hi. 

Opening Hours
Mon – Sat 11.30am – 9pm
Sun 11.30am – 3pm
21-23 Queens Road, Mt Pleasant
Phone 9316 2772
http://www.jbento.com.au